Soccer Registration!

Hello, sports fans!

Last Saturday, March 26, we kicked off our spring soccer season with a scrimmage and registration day. From 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., families from around the Franklin South neighborhood--as well as friends from as far away as Orem and Springville--convened at the Boulders field to dust off their dribbles for the new season. So far 73 kids between the ages of 5 and 18 have signed up to play.

The skill and enthusiasm of the players who came impressed us onlookers, and passers-by of all ages stopped to watch. The coaches who came to meet their teams also had a lot of fun. Can you find the three coaches in the photo below?

Adam, Brittany and Adella are 3 of 32 coaches who have committed to leading the South Franklin Soccer League this spring. We know our players will have an incredible experience because all the coaches are such incredible people!

The best news of all? Soccer registration is not over! If you or someone you know would like to play, fill out a form at Centro Hispano (817 S. Freedom Blvd., Provo) or United Way of Utah County (148 N. 100 W, Provo). The first game is Saturday, April 9, but you can register any time during the month of April. As always, participation is free. Call us or email us with any questions. See you soon!

Tobacco Prevention!

Centro Hispano's Respira Utah came to the Community Center to educate kids on tobacco prevention and cessation to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke. Through outreach efforts to the children in the South Franklin area the kids will have the knowledge necessary to live healthy lives smoke free.

 A fun activity for the kids to participate in while learning!

Special thanks to those involved in planning this event for the youth! 

Be a Philanthropist Grant to Fund Summer Activities for Teens

Hello, friends of South Franklin!

It's a very busy time of year for us at the South Franklin Community Center. This Saturday, March 26 from 9-12 we will be kicking off our spring soccer season with scrimmages, sign-ups and an opportunity to meet the coaches. We are very thankful to all our volunteer coaches and referees who have committed to spending time with South Franklin's families over the next couple months. Thank you, thank you!

If you are not currently signed up to participate in soccer and you would like to help, we would love for you to be a referee. Sign up using the link to the right.

In addition to preparing for soccer and holding our regular classes and programs, we are also starting to plan our summer activities. It may seem a little early to be thinking about summer (although the more it rains, the more I think about it!), but a lot goes into planning the summer camps for the kids. If you have volunteered at South Franklin, you know what wonderful kids we have in the neighborhood, and you know that they are definitely worth the effort.

In past years we have focused on creating fun, high-quality learning experiences for the children, such as museum trips, fire department and police visits, cultural awareness days with groups like BYU's Living Legends dance group, nutrition days, music days, and more. We hope to build on the current program by dividing the children into two age groups to better serve their skills and interests. But we are also very excited to focus on the teenagers this coming summer. We are pleased to announce a new teen activities campaign!

This effort has no name. It is not a camp or a program. We simply want to focus more on the wonderful youth ages 13-18 who live in the South Franklin neighborhood. They are good young men and women who work hard in school, care for their siblings, support their parents, and have dreams. More details will be forthcoming, but we hope to hold regular sports activities, break dancing classes, age-appropriate music events, and more. This wish of ours will be funded by a generous grant from Be a Philanthropist.

Be a Philanthropist is a grassroots philanthropy organization funded by students of Brigham Young University. The group focuses on high impact efforts. We are grateful to Be a Philanthropist for recognizing the significance of working with the youth of South Franklin. If you want to learn more about them, their website can be found here.

Thanks to Be a Philanthropist, our soccer volunteers, our sponsors, and all our other volunteers. You really are making a difference!

Relief is on the way

During the past few days, it seems like the world has been bombarded with bad news. Difficult situations are happening internationally, as well as locally. As I was feeling bogged down with recent events this morning, I was touched to see the great response from members of the community and members around the world.

When the Boulders Apartments in Provo were struck with tragedy last night, we were grateful for the local Red Cross, who were on the scene quickly. They helped set-up a temporary shelter and make sure all community members were ok. When a local disaster occurred, they speedily responded and provided relief.

I have also been impressed with the different organizations, including the Red Cross, who have helped with the tsunami recovery in Japan. Individuals throughout the world are looking for places to donate and ways to help with relief efforts. If you are interested in helping tsunami victims in Japan, visit the InterAction site for a list of organizations. If you are interested in helping with disasters in Utah, talk to the Red Cross.  It’s truly amazing to see that during a crisis, community members will step up to provide the relief that’s needed.

Written by Carrie Toolson of United Way of Utah County